In 2015, Super Mario Maker was released for the Nintendo Wii U. For the first time ever, players were given the opportunity to create their own Mario levels and share them with players online all over the world. The game was a huge hit and creators went wild, coming up with levels that amaze while pushing players to their limits. A year later, Nintendo announced that Super Mario Maker will be coming to the Nintendo 3DS. Now that it has been released, does this game hold well to its Wii U counterpart?

If you played Super Mario Maker on the Wii U, you’ll feel real familiar with this game on the 3DS. Creating levels are easy to do with the bottom screen while the top serves as your platform. Pretty nifty. However like the Wii U version, you won’t have everything unlocked from the get-go. One difference this version has over the other is the Super Mario Challenge. It’s a mode exclusive for the Nintendo 3DS version and you tackle 18 worlds containing more than 100 courses. All the courses carry objectives and they can range from like collecting all 100 coins to gaining a set number of 1-Ups. This adds a bit of variety and challenge while teaching players how to use specific items to complete courses. The Super Mario Challenge can take players around 8-10 hours if they want to obtain 100% completion. The 100-Mario Challenge is also in this game and like the Wii U version they come in multiple difficulties, adding more hours of game time.

For a 3DS game, they nailed this port well. Very well I might add. Design-wise, the game is like the Wii U version and I will admit, seeing the old school Mario Bros. style in a handheld is real cool along with the others. However when it comes to the New Super Mario Bros. U style, it feels a bit blocky. Not that it’s a bad thing but since you’re playing a handheld port of a Wii U game it’s to be expected. But it’s pretty solid and I commend Nintendo for pulling it off. I only wish they could fix it so it can work but hey, what can you do?

Though this game is similar to the Wii U version, there are some things that differentiate it. First, there’s no Amiibo compatibility with the game. My guess it was due to game limitations but it’s pretty minor. Second is that you can’t share your courses online. The 3DS version gives you the option to share your courses but only through Local Play. In addition you can have other players edit your shared courses. If you have friends then this is a good thing but honestly, having that instead of sharing online hurts the game in the long run. It hurts because without the option to share online, it sort of reduces the value this game has over the Wii U version. I feel it’s a missed opportunity for Nintendo to make this game be just as awesome as the Wii U version. Sadly they didn’t and it hurts. That’s not to say the game is bad though. Also it’s recommended that the game is played on the New Nintendo 3DS handhelds. Original 3DS handhelds can handle the game but more likely than not, the game can crash. A minor issue at best.

Super Mario Maker for the Nintendo 3DS could have given Nintendo an opportunity to bring their most successful game onto the handheld. Despite the game playing just as good as the Wii U counterpart, it lacked a few things that differentiate it. But regardless Super Mario Maker for the 3DS is an enjoyable game that offers a lot for $40. I enjoyed this game, despite the drawbacks. But if you want the full experience, the Wii U version is your best bet but the 3DS does stand out on its own as a good game.